Use a slack #channel, not @channel, to broadcast.



## Who are you talking to?

Who do you want to tell your great thing to?  Who are you trying to reach?  

This question is answered by the `#channel` that you are in.  If you are in the `#engineering` channel and type something and send it, everyone in that channel will see it.  That's why they're there.  That's what they expect to see.  

Sometimes, instead, it seems like we believe that we aren't telling *everyone* in the channel a thing unless we pull a `@channel` or `@here` mention out and use it.  This is not true.  

Say it in the channel, people see it in the channel.

## When Timeliness is Important

If you want everyone to see something in a shorter amount of time, it might be appropriate to use a mention.  Mentions are often tied to notifications and are filtered less in most peoples' Slack settings.  

When you mention someone or everyone via `@channel`, notifications are *pushed* to those users.  They are _pulled into_ an engagement with you.  They are pulled away from _other_ things to pay attention to what you're saying _at that very moment_.  Make sure the timeliness of what you're saying calls for this action before you take it.

If you want to say something to a group of people, just say it in the channel.

If you want to say something urgently (adv. in a way that requires immediate action), say it with `@channel`.

Use a slack #channel, not @channel, to broadcast.

Use Slack Channels to Broadcast

It shouldn't.  Edit your life.  Edit your Slack channels.



## Someone Left

When someone leaves your beloved Slack channel, do you jump all over them?  I've even been immediately invited back into a Slack channel (mostly jokingly) with comments about how I will never be able to leave.  

We should make it ok for someone to leave the channel.  It doesn't mean they don't care about what happens there.  It's not personal.  You can still associate with this person, even though they don't value what happens in that channel as highly as you.   Don't be insulted when they leave.  It's just a Slack channel.  And who knows, they might be back -- of their *own* accord.

## I Left

Have you ever wanted to leave a channel but were intimidated to leave the "uh oh, Jake left the channel and doesn't care any more" notice?:

![jake left channel notice](https://i.imgur.com/Fza6fZo.png)

This should not be intimidating.  It should be ok to come and go as you choose.  That's how it is in real life. When the meeting's over, you leave.  When you've written your letter, you press send.  When the party's over, you go home.  Why then, does a Slack channel, arguably less important than all of those things in most respects, have this great pull on us.  

We can't give our attention to everything all the time.  Increased Slack channels are an opportunity for increased interruptions (I'm looking at you, `@here` notifications) which are an opportunity for decreased productivity.  If someone needs you, they'll invite you to a channel or DM you.  Don't worry, you're not missing out.  And people will be ok with you leaving the channel.  Lol, I hope.  We should be, anyway.

How do you convince yourself and others that it's ok for you to leave the channel?

Does Leaving a Slack Channel Make You Sad?

You may want to chime in on chat or [Slack](https://slack.com/) at any time of the day, like late at night.  Choose not to, and lead a better life, build a better company.



## The Lure

We're on our computers a lot.  We take our company laptops home where we're doing random side projects and life management on it.  We use this same computer during the day at work, so wwe're exposed at home to apps from work, like Slack.  Our phones are the same way, conveniently loaded with Slack, video conferencing software, and work email accounts.  The lure is present.

We may see that we have an unread Slack mention.  That unread number... oooohh, so enticing.  It's hard to keep our Pavlovian predisposition to jump on these messages in check.  Especially now, when we're out of work, taking a breath, and have a spare second.

In fact, it could be even more compelling because, you know what, we've been out of town, and we're way behind.  We *deserve* to read these notes.  No, *others* deserve us reading and responding to these notes.  They've probably been waiting for days for my response.  We owe it to them.

## Our Example

Our example matters and not just to us.  We need to show the ability to disconnect.  There is rarely a message that can't wait until the next day, so leave it until then.  

When we connect to Slack, email, or other company comms, we pressure others to do the same.  When someone sees our Slack message that comes in at 7pm, 11:30pm, or 2am, they will wonder if they should be giving people the same 24/7 attention and help that we are, or seem to be.  Everyone else wants to be a team player too.  To dissuade others from such potential pressures,  we may *say*, "leave your work at work, and go home", but our words will be hollow unless we do it.  We may say, "I don't have to be on.  I'm just on because I want to be."  That may be true, but when we are on way after core hours, we are still steering our culture in a direction where that's first acceptable, then embraced, then expected.  We can encourage a culture of false heroism and showmanship.  We can encourage a culture of always-on availability, robbing ourselves and others of needed time to rejuvenate and experience other aspects of life.

## Studious Avoidance

We can do better.  We can train ourselves to focus on the task or the people at hand.  If we're at home, those are our at-home people.  We might still have Slack notifications on our phone.  We can train ourselves to not read them until we appropriately return to work.  Sure, some people are legitimately on call for needs like operations, but this is the exception.

We can close Slack on our computers.  We can close out our work profile in our browsers.  We can leave unread messages.  If we happen to see a message that needs our attention -- later -- we can re-mark it as unread or write a note to ourself to respond when back at work.  If we see that unread, red icon indicating 3 new messages, we can simply and quickly close the app and smile for our choice.

People need time to recover and be away.  Work is a subset of life.  In our own commitment to work, we need to remember the impression we make on others and be respectful.

What are the ways you feel pulled back into work after hours?  And how do you feel when someone else is chatting it up on Slack in the wee hours of the morning?

You may want to chime in on chat any time of the day.  Choose not to, and lead a better life, build a better company.

Cut the Chatter

Slack is a fantastic tool.  It allows always-on group chat in this spirit of Hipchat or Campfire or your friends' group text thread that just won't end.  You can create channels, public or private, to suit your purpose.  You can gather communities together to talk about specific things.  Slack can become an invaluable source of communication and information for you and your teams.  Without a bit of management and care, however, it can become a burden that distracts you from the essence of your work.



If your job is to coordinate and communicate all day, every day, this article won't really apply.  You should use Slack to the max and worry about little else.  If, instead, Slack is a tool meant to empower your essential work, especially something that requires focused thinking, creative process, or anything that requires some cognitive flow time, the suggestions in this article are for you.

## Don't Notify on Everything

There are doubtless channels that you love and are very interested in on Slack.  You likely appreciate these places because they're often abuzz with chatter that interests you.  Do not ask to be notified every time someone says something in these channels.  You are asking for interruptions about things that interest you but might not be directed at you.

Notifications are valuable, but they are an active form of the tool getting your attention and should be used judiciously.  Set a small number of keywords that would indicate to you that someone is trying to talk to you specifically.

![limit notifications](https://i.imgur.com/C1fG5y5.png)

## Use Mentions

Assume that others are doing the above only listening for certain keywords, including their username.  And then realize that once you mention their name, like `@jaketrent`, in the channel, the tool will actively engage them with a notification.  Don't assume their just watching the channel for traffic.  And don't be upset if they don't respond everything said in a channel.  Don't mention unless you must.  And mention when you want someone's specific attention.

![mentions](https://i.imgur.com/VlzhTua.png)

## Mute Channels

Normally, when chatter happens in a channel, the channel nav in the left of the UI will appear white and bold, indicating you have unread chats in the channel.  If you mute a channel, this indicator doesn't happen.  It always appears that there is nothing to read.  The great exception is when someone mentions you particularly.  In that case, you still get the red badge, indicating your number of unread mentions.

![mute slack channel](https://i.imgur.com/5dEVlty.png)

## Mention without Notifying

Sometimes you want to speak about someone in a message without notifying them.  For instance, you could be explaining to another questioning team member what Jake's schedule is for that day.  Jake doesn't necessarily need notified that you're talking about him, and he's probably being notified of mentions of his name.  So, we can break up his name so it doesn't match his keywords.  For instance:

![@justin Yesterday Jak e said that he would test that after we merged our change.](https://i.imgur.com/YxCQ1yw.png)

## Expect Involvement

If no one is involved on Slack, it has no value.  So if you team or company wants to communicate over the tool, you must be in there typing and reading.  We should also be understanding that people want to be involved at different levels.  Some people are great information radiators.  Some introverts would rather read and not type as much.  Some would rather talk to few people indeed and just get other essential work completed.  So expect involvement, and be willing to meet people where they're at in relation to this communication tool and don't expect equal involvement from everyone.

## The Digest Version

Slack is always on, the clock is always ticking, and things are always being said.  Were you to always be keeping up, you'd never leave the tool.  So embrace "falling behind".  Actually plan on catching up later and experiencing the past minutes, hours, or days in digest version.  Take advantage of down time and catch up then, being careful not to get sucked in past the actual down time.

## Leave Channels

If you find yourself not being interested or engaged by the unread chats in an channel, leave it.  If the digest doesn't catch your attention, don't read it.  If it provides no value, it's just taking up time.  You probably joined that channel for a long-forgotten reason, and there's no present reason compelling you to be there.  Leave.  If someone wants you in there, she can invite you back, sharing relevant conversations at any time.

![invite to slack](https://i.imgur.com/nNu09rw.png)

## Bankruptcy is Ok

In the context of a chat tool, bankruptcy is ok.  There is no great shame in declaring that you either don't care about what happened in slack the past while or that you aren't willing to take the time to experience the digest version.  Mark all those messages as read and go on with life.  If someone really wanted your attention, they'll mention you again.

## Turn it off

There are many moments of creative thought where an idle comment that you notice will whisk your mind away from the problem at hand that series of abstract connections you had just made is now lost.  Be willing to put boundaries around your most important, creative, or difficult work, and just turn Slack off for those periods.  It'll be ok.  Just do it.

## Limit `@channel` Usage

Really think twice before you use the `@channel` or `@group` mentions.  Everyone in the channel will receive a notification about what you're saying.  Is it urgent -- as in, is it time-sensitive enough that everyone should read this as soon as you type it?  Does it *really* apply to *everyone*?  `@channel` should really not be a part of your daily Slack vocabulary.  Your mind should not go there instinctively, and your fingers should not type it readily.  It should really be for exceptional moments when you remember, "Oh yeah, I *can* get a hold of everyone right now if use @channel".

Everyone really needs to be responsible and limit themselves on this point because the situation in which there are bunch of at-channel police is not fun either.  It tends to draw out people that think they're funny and use `@channel` mentions for their own entertainment.

## Talk Face-to-Face

Slack is great for letting multiple people, across geography, know at once what you're talking about.  It's also great a making a record of the conversation for later reference.  But be willing to stand up, stop typing, and look someone in the eye.  An important conversation prefers humans speaking directly to humans, where non-verbal cues are seen, conversation can flow more directly, and we are more aware that we're talking to a person and not a machine.

## Trim the Channels

Just like unsubscribing to all that junk mail that you accumulate over months, it's a good idea to trim the fat on the Slack channels you've joined now and again.  This will slim down the digest-version catchups that you have to consume.  Ask yourself what value you've been able to receive and share in those channels lately.  Ask yourself if the info shared there is really essential communication for you.

Well surely there are many, many other practices or thoughts that could encourage your better use of this group chat tool.  What are some ideas that occur to you?

Slack can be a great help.  If you're not careful, it can be a burden.  Manage with care.